Valve-actuating device



May 16, 1967 KolcHl KOJIMA ET Al. 3,319,925

VALVE-ACTUAT ING DEV I CE Filed Sept. 24, 1965 My f@ Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,925 VALVE-ACTUATING DEVICE Koichi Kojima and Hiroshi Sato, Tokyo, Japan, assignors to T. V. Valve Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Filed Sept. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 489,826 1 Claim. (Ci. 251-58) The valve actuating device of this invention is adapted to be secured to a valve body for actuating a valve mem- -ber by rotating it by means of a unique construction of a cylinder and piston of the actuating device cooperating with a rod coupled to the valve.

More specifically, a cylinder enclosing a walled piston mounted on a valve rod carries inwardly protruding plu-gs, and the valve rod carries outwardly protruding plugs. The walled piston has inclined guide slots for guiding these protruding plugs, and the inclination of the slots are such that linear movement of the piston will rotate the piston through an angle of arc in one direction due to the cylinder plugs, and this rotation of the piston during reciprocation will rotate the valve rod through an angle of arc in the same direction due to the rod plugs. Thus a large angle of actuation can be obtained by a short stroke of the piston. The cylinder is provided with uid pressure ports near its ends to allow actuation of the piston and hence the valve by `fluid pressure admitted through one of the ports.

A clear understanding of the construction and operation of this invention can be obtained from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a longitudinal sectional front view of a preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a piston employed in this invention; and

FIG. 4 is a developed View of the piston.

Referring to the drawings, a valve body designated generally by 11 is at the intermediate portion thereof provided with suitable valve seats 12 and 13, against which is mounted a ball-shaped or other suitably shaped valve member 14. On the upper portion of the valve member 14 a socketed valve stem 15 is provided, and a relatively longer valve actuating rod 16 is coupled to stem 15 to operate the valve member 14. Upon the valve body 14 an air-tight cylinder 17 is mounted which encloses the valve rod 16. Within the cylinder 17 and on the rod 16 a cylindrical piston 18 is slidably mounted.

The wall of the cylindrical piston 118 includes two pairs of guide slots 19a, 19b and 20a, 20b, as illustrated in development in FIGS. 3 and 4. These guide slots are inclined at a common angle. `In one pair of guide slots 19a and 19b are tted a pair of plugs 21a and 2lb which are like cam-followers and protrude from the inside wall of cylinder 17. Similarly, the other pair of guide slots 20a and 2017 guide a pair of protruding plugs 22aand 22b which are like cam-followers in shape and extend from valve rod 16. When the piston 18 moves vertically from its lowermost position to its uppermost position, the piston 18 rotates about 45 degrees by the inclination or twist of the guiding slots 19a and 19b into which are fitted the protruding plugs 21a and 2lb, and at the same time by means of the other pair of guide slots 20a and 20h cooperating with the valve rod protruding plugs 22a and 22h, so that the valve rod 16 is also rotated 45. In other words, in order that the valve rod 16 or the valve body 14 be rotated as much as 90 of angle, each pair of guide slots 19a and 19b and 20a and 20h must extend of the cylinder wall. Thus the degree of rotation of the valve member 14 is determined by the inclination of the -guide slots, the length of the piston 13, or the stroke thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 4, due to cooperating action of the protruding plugs 21a and 2lb and the inclined guide slots 19a and 19b, the piston 18 is rotated through a predetermined angle. The piston is further rotated relative to the valve stem by means of the other pair of guide slots 20a and 20b and valve rod protruding plugs 22a and 22b, thus the rotational velocity of the valve body 14 is doubled.

Ports 23 and 24 are provided in the ends of cylinder 17 for air pressure or the like. Through either of the ports air under pressure of, for example, 2 kg./cm.2 is charged into the cylinder 17 to thereby drive the piston through a predetermined stroke either upwardly or downwardly.

With the construction described above, the piston 18 is rotated relative to the cylinder 17 corresponding to the twist or the inclination angle of one pair of guide slots 19a and 19h. The valve rod 16 is rotated through an angle corresponding to the sum of the angle that the piston was rotated and that caused by the inclination of the other pair of guide slots 20a and 2Gb. Thus the valve body 14 coupled to the valve rod 16 can be quickly rotated so that opening and closing of the valve may be quickly accomplished.

As described above, according to this invention the valve is rotated through an angle which is remarkably large as compared with the constant stroke of the specially constructed piston by utilizing air under relatively lower pressure. As a result of the above, the auxiliary mechanism required for pressure operation may he compact and simple in construction. Further, since the whole construction of the valve according to the present invention is relatively simple, operation of the valve is simplified and the manufacture of the valve can be carried out inexpensively and without trouble. The valve according to the present invention may be employed in the automatic control systems requiring high reliability but is not limited thereto as it has many other uses due to the unique features disclosed herein.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be eected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and defined in the appended claim.

We claim:

A valve actuating device comprising a cylinder attached to the outside of a valve body; a valve rod which is adapted to actuate a valve rotatably mounted within the cylinder, a housed cylindrical piston within the cylinder slidably mounted on the rod; a first plurality of guide slots in the wall of the piston and inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of said piston, a second plurality of guide slots in the wall of the piston and inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of said piston, said second plurality of guide slots being oppositely inclined with respect to said first plurality of guide slots; a first plurality of protruding plugs secured to the cylinder wall and extending into said first plurality of guide slots, a second plurality of Yvided in the proximities of the ends ofthe cylinder, where- 3 4 protruding plugs secured to the valve rod and extending and protruding plugs, whereby providing a greater Valve therefrom into said second plurality of guide slots; means rotation in a shorter piston displacement.

for reciprocating the piston by uid pressure alternately R charged into the cyhnder from aX1ally spaced ports proeferens Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS in reciprocation of said piston produces rotary motion of 2,998,805 9/ 1961 Usab 251-58 XR said valve consisting of the superposition of the rotary 3,078,055 2/ 1963 Vickery 251--58 motion of said piston caused by the first plurality of guide l. slots and protruding plugs, and the rotary motion of the M CARY NELSON P' mary Exammer' valve rod caused by the second plurality of guide slots lo W. JOHNSON, Assistant Examiner. 

